Linger
by xxkoffeexx
Summary: When I-pin is shot back into the past, she stays for more than five minutes. Hibari x I-pin.


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Linger

By _xxkoffeexx_

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Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Warning: Spoilers for Future Arc. AKA chapter 130-something and beyond. That would be episode 76, for this particular fic.

Special A/N: I was inspired to write this after reading the first chapter of "Looking Back" by Raofee. I was also fueled, admittedly, by my own imagination. And let's not forget Garowyn! Pondering Hibari's preference of women is quite invigorating. XD

Summary: When I-pin is shot back into the past, she stays for more than five minutes. Sorta Hibari x I-pin.

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:x:x:x:

It was looking bad.

She was injured in multiple places, and hurting in a lot. It was by luck that I-pin managed to last this long.

Kyoko was missing. Blown away by the enemy's attack, probably. Tsuna was being hunted down by the stronger-looking Black Spell member. Gokudera was having a difficult time opening his box and Lambo was too scared to stand. Haru was fine, which was a relief, but she was defenseless. Prime target for the enemy.

At least Yamamoto was there to protect them. Things were finally looking up, she thought. After all, it couldn't get any worse than this.

She was wrong.

One second she was struggling to stand amidst the debris and abandoned factories. Dust, smoke, shouting—who was shouting? Yamamoto? Tsuna? Lambo was crying—worry, pain, fear of failing to protect _again_—

Suddenly all noise stopped. It was silent. No more dust flying about, no more dirt, no more factories, no more Haru, Lambo, Yamamoto, Gokudera. Her ears were still ringing from the previous battle scene.

Where was she?

And she looked down the empty, quiet street, and realized she was back in the past. She was far—too far—from the battle, the danger, the fighting. But only for five minutes.

_This is bad_.

She began to walk, ignoring the pain. Her legs moved faster, and soon she was running, racing down the familiar yet not-familiar streets, and searching frantically for a memorable face—any face. She didn't know what she would tell them, but maybe they could figure it out.

_Only five minutes_.

Sixth sense told her someone was near. Up ahead. There. Hope raced through her veins, and she struggled to catch up. Who was it? A friend, something told her. Maybe she could reach them before her time ran out. Anything, any single information could possibly help the future, where her past self was, where they were fighting for their lives and could be _dying this very second_—

He was waiting for her. Blind with worry and exhaustion I-pin ran straight into him. The impact was too much for her battered body so she naturally stumbled back.

A hand caught her upper arm before she hit the ground. She glanced up and froze.

_Master? No. It's…_

"Hibari-san?"

His indifferent expression never changed, but she felt his eyes on her, calculating, probably wondering who she was. Not an enemy. No. Of course he wasn't her beloved master. Her pain must be affecting her brain. But her heart still raced as if she were five years old again.

The battle. The future. She had to tell him, the Guardian of Cloud—something, anything—before her time ran out.

"Hibari-san, there is—"

She stopped. Stunned by the cold realization that it was far past time. More than five minutes had passed, and she was still standing here, with the past Hibari Kyoya.

_What is going on?_

She stared at him for the answer. He stared back wordlessly.

A dream. It had to be a dream, her mind urged. Of course. So that's what it was. The pain, this Hibari, the past, the Black Spells and White Spells, the death of Vongola the Tenth, her master's disappearance… it had been a dream all along. A long, terribly real, dream. That meant she would wake up soon.

But right now, being with the past Hibari, it wasn't so terrible at all. In that case, it wouldn't hurt to linger a little longer. She swayed on her feet, and noticed for the first time he hadn't let her go. Definitely a dream.

"Hibari-san," she said again, and tried to smile even as she began to lose consciousness. "It's just a dream."

He didn't reply. But he caught her before she collapsed.

_I'll linger here… a little longer. _

END

:x:x:x:

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A/N: This is a pure maybe fic. I don't know if the future people actually got sent back nine years and ten months. But if they did, then this is my take on what might have happened to I-pin. Or, rather, my take on what I _hope_ happens to her. XD Hibari x I-pin all the way. Though, this fic actually went farther in Hibari x I-pin interaction than I'd originally planned. Eh. Short and sweet?

And yes, I realize this relationship is stretching the limits. But, truthfully, that's how I like it. Let the impossible become possible. Heh. I am also pulling things out of the air as I write about her master. I used all my inferences from what I know of him in the manga.

Spot any OOC or grammatical errors or awkwardness and whatnot? You betcha. XD My writing so full of flaws! And holes. Like Swiss cheese. Or a sponge. No, that's not right. Sponges absorb. Then… Hibari's cloud? Ah, forget it.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading! I sure enjoyed writing it. XD

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